Open House
by eternite z
Summary: Laguna attends Balamb Garden's open house!
1. The Invitation

Hey there! It's Emi (yes, I changed my name ^^; ) with her 4th fanfic! Please read and review! I've always wondered if asking people to R&R works..... Well, enjoy!  
  
  
  
\\ REMEMBER!  
  
The week of September 5th is Balamb Garden's first-annual open house! Each student is allowed two visitors (parents or guardians only, please). Visitors may tour from 12:00pm on Monday to 5:00pm on Friday. No one will be admitted before 12:00pm or after 5:00pm on any day. Visitors may not stay in Garden over night. Please make reservations at the Balamb Hotel if necessary. More details will be given at a later date.  
  
If you know of someone who would like to come, please fill out the following form. Note: Return the form even if no one will be visiting you. //  
  
"Last name of guest, first name of guest, relation- Hmph." Squall rolled his eyes and proceeded to crumble the notice into a wad. He decided the first garbage can he passed would be given the honor of housing the giant spit ball.   
  
"What'cha got there?"   
  
Caught off guard by the sudden appearance, he stood up to hide the fact that he was startled. Squall nodded a hello to the bubbly SeeD and stuck the wad in his pocket.   
"Is that the open house form? Who are going to invite?" Selphie smiled, hoping for the answer she wanted, but knew she wasn't going to get.  
  
"No one."  
  
"There must be -someone- you want to invite. What about La-"  
  
"No!......Thank you, but I think I'll skip it this year." Not bothering to say goodbye, he walked past Selphie and casually tossed the paper in the trash.  
  
  
-_-_-_-_-_-  
  
  
"Do you think Squall would be angry if I invited Sir Laguna to the open house next week?" Selphie fiddled with her french fries, continually dipping them in the same glob of ketchup.  
  
"Can I say the eulogy at your funeral? I've always wanted to write one of those things," Zell smirked.  
  
"So, you -don't- think it would be a good idea?"  
  
"Selphie Tilmitt was one of the best Garden Festival committee members, considering she was the only one. She also had a wond- well, she had a website--"  
  
"All right! I get it."  
  
"I think it's very nice of you to think of Squall," Quistis began. "But -he- needs to be the one to mend his relationship with his father."  
  
"Couldn't I just.....help him?"  
  
"Do what you want, but don't expect a miracle. And don't expect Squall to thank you, either." She laughed lightly. "Let's send it in."  
  
-_-_-_-_-_-  
  
  
A knock at the door broke the silence of the President's office. Being in deep thought, Laguna did not respond immediately, causing the servant to knock twice more. Totally oblivious to the pounding, Laguna tightened his fist and took a deep breath, trying to decide which form of action would benefit him in the situation at hand.  
  
"Mr. President? Sir?"  
  
"Hm?" he grunted automatically.  
  
"Mail, Mr. President."  
  
".........Come in."  
  
The boy opened the door the best he could, considering both of his hands were full with sacks of letters.   
  
Laguna was so absorbed in what he was doing, he didn't bother to look up. "Close the door, there's a draft," he ordered softly.  
  
"Yes, sir." The servant attempted to close the door with his hands, but when that failed, resorted to his feet. Despite the servant's cautious movements, the wind caused the door to slam closed.  
  
Laguna's eye's bulged as each one of the Jenga blocks fell from their position on top of the tower and hit his wooden desk with a thud. He lunged forward to catch the remainder, but found it was futile.  
  
"I-I'm sorry, sir! I didn't mean to close the door so loudly! Honestly, sir!"  
  
"That's," he held his breath, trying to suppress a whimper. "Okay," he choked out.  
  
"I truly am sorry!"  
  
"No, no. It's....fine...."  
  
The servant boy timidly handed Laguna the mail bags. "H-here."  
  
"Thanks. You can go," he squeaked.  
  
"Sorry again, Mr. President," he apologized before exiting.  
  
The President sighed, finally accepting the tragedy, and opened the bag nearest to him.  
  
"Nick and Mary-Jo Williams want me to cut taxes on.....meatloaf? There's a special tax for meatloaf?" He shook his head and threw the letter on the carpet, then rummaged through the bag again. "Another one of those long-lost relative notes, a declaration of war from some high school kid, a letter to Santa, a letter from Balamb Garden....Huh?" Laguna ripped open the envelope, expecting nothing more than a plea for funding, or perhaps a request for a speech to the students.  
  
His eyes skimmed its contents as he quietly read aloud.  
  
'He wants me to come?' A smile crept up his lips as he read the letter over again. When he was sure of what it said, he sped out of his office to tell Kiros and Ward of his plans for the next week.  
  
"La la la la la!"  
  
No longer worried by Laguna's odd behavior, Kiros stood quietly, waiting for him to stop running in circles.   
  
"Guess what!" he panted.  
  
"You tried out for a Lollipop Kid in Esthar's live production of The Wizard of Oz?"  
  
"They're touring again?"  
  
"I was being-" Kiros shook his head. "No, Laguna, they aren't touring."  
  
"Squall invited me to Garden for open house!"  
  
"-Squall- invited you?"  
  
"His name's on the return address, see?" Laguna proudly pointed to the upper left corner of the letter and brought it close to Kiros' face so he could get a good look.   
  
Kiros shrugged and patted him on the back. "Congrats, man, he's accepted the unacceptable."  
  
"Er.....thanks...."  
  
".........?"  
  
"Ward wants to know if Garden has an open house."  
  
"I......just said that, Ward."  
  
"He thinks you wrote that letter yourself."  
  
Laguna was pleased to rub the envelope in Ward's face too.  
  
"He says Squall doesn't have bubbly handwriting."  
  
Laguna quickly pulled his hand back and stuck the paper in his pocket. "How would you know?!" he huffed.  
  
"Usually girls have bubbly handwriting."  
  
"What's THAT supposed to mean?!"  
  
"Ask Ward! He's the one who said it!" Kiros defended himself.  
  
The ex-Galbadian soldier backed away from his teammate and headed toward the other man in the room. He mustered up the angriest expression he could manage, and stared Ward straight in the face. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"........."  
  
"He says, It looks like your handwriting......Only not in crayon," snickered Kiros.  
  
Laguna strolled back into his office. "Yeah, whatever!"   
  
-_-_-_-_-_-  
  
September 5th finally came, and despite the truckload of visitors that would be touring Garden, classes and missions carried on as usual.  
  
"Are you excited, Squall?" Selphie and Zell tailed along behind their commander, regardless of the many attempts he made to lose them.  
  
"Why should I be?" he asked in his normal tone.  
  
"Oh, uh....I just thought you'd be happy to see all those new faces." She smiled sweetly, but Squall didn't return the gesture.  
  
"Hey," Zell spoke up. "It's almost twelve o'clock. We'd better-"  
  
Squall halted. "You're not wearing a watch," he observed.  
  
Zell paused, unable to think of a plausible excuse.  
  
Selphie attempted to help by blurting, "The voices told him!"  
  
"Um, y-yeah." He dramatically flung his hands over his ears. "Stop the voices!"   
  
".....Er...Zell hears 'the voices' often. Don't you, Zell?"  
  
He stood silently, waiting for her to continue. She also returned the gaze, expecting -him- to continue. When he didn't, she jabbed his side.  
  
"DON'T YOU?"  
  
"All the time!............Wait. I hear them again!" He bobbed his head up and down. "Stop the voices!"  
  
"But they DON'T talk to you THAT often. RIGHT?"  
  
He removed his hands cautiously. "Yes, they've stopped now."  
  
Squall was very confused and had to double-take a few times before shrugging it off as another one of their bizarre idiosyncrasies. "What's going on? You've all been acting strangely since the beginning of last week. If it's just nerves or excitement, leave me out of it."   
  
He continued walking, but Zell and Selphie did not follow.  
  
"So....." Zell balanced his weight on his heels. "The part of eulogy writer is still open, right?"  
  
-_-_-_-_-_-  
  
  
End part one! ^o^ If you'd like to see more, please review! I won't write unless someone's going to read it....  
  
iJust wondering if html works..../i  
  
  



	2. The Near-Arrival

La la la la la la la! Second part! La la la la la la la!   
I tried out the html format, so I hope it's okay. (If not, I'll upload the normal one.)

-_-_-_-_-_- 

"All right, I'm off!" Laguna reached for his car keys, but was promptly halted by three burly guards. 

"Mr. President!" one yelled as he and the others surrounded the vehicle. 

Laguna pretended not to hear him and began to roll up his window. The guard, being accustomed to the president's antics, quickly stuck his arm through the open hole. The man sighed, annoyed that protecting _this_ president meant escorting him to school events instead of warding off assassins......not that anyone wouldn't want to assassinate President Loire. The guard decided long ago that _he_ did. 

"Sir, I cannot allow you to leave unprotected." 

"Chill, Kiros and Ward are with me," he answered with the air of a teenager. 

"I must insist that my men accompany you." 

Laguna bit his lip as he eyed the stiff soldiers. Kiros and Ward waved their hands, motioning him to give in. It was a toss up, though, if he would listen to them. 

"C'mon, man, let's get going! You're going to be late, and that won't look good," Kiros urged Laguna from the back seat. 

The president stared at the wool covering his steering wheel, occasionally rubbing the fur with his thumbs. "Okay, get in," he said just above a whisper. 

The guard smiled as he removed his arm, then cursed aloud when the car sped away. His desperate pleas were silenced by the roaring engine as he raced after the pearly white vehicle. The others looked on; one in disbelief, one in sheer happiness. 

"I can't belie - that wasn't - you KNEW he'd - you shouldn't take advantage of the new guy!" the shorter of the two whined. 

The taller man smiled smugly and held out his hand. "20 gil. Hand it over." 

-_-_-_-_-_-

After fooling the airline workers into believing he looked like President Loire because he was cloned..... Laguna and his friends boarded the plane and departed for Balamb. Unfortunately, their lateness forced them to split up on the airplane in order to find empty seats. 

Laguna spotted a chair by a lone teenager and hastily ran to claim it. He bumped Kiros out of the way (causing him to fall into the aisle) and plopped down. 

"Hi! Looks like we'll be sitting together on this flight," Laguna cheerfully greeted the boy on his right. 

The teen gave a small nod and turned up the volume on his headset. 

"Nice hair. I've always loved the color pink. And is that a tattoo of a three-toed sloth?" 

The boy nodded again, then turned his attention to the window. He stared intently at the ground below as the plane took off, laughing occasionally. 

"The end is near," he muttered. 

Laguna confusedly turned to the punk kid. "What....do you mean?" 

"They are coming." 

"Who?" 

"THEY." 

"Who's 'they'?" he asked, his voice cracking on the words. 

"Not Who. They." 

"Oh, I get it." Laguna threw his head back and grinned when he thought he solved the riddle. "This is one of those 'Who's on first' things, huh." 

"They will be here soon." 

".........Right. Oh, miss!" 

The stewardess stopped her cart for Laguna and smiled politely. "Can I help you, sir?" Without waiting for a reply, she quickly uncovered the tray of airline food and began riddling off the choices. "We've got chicken in red sauce with peas, red chicken in pea sauce, peas in red chicken sauce, and chicken in red pea sauce with a.....er......I believe it's a brownie." 

"I'll take the one with the brownie, please." 

"Laguna!" Kiros yelled from across the aisle. He waved his hands frantically, trying to get his attention. "Don't eat the food!" Kiros pointed to Ward who had his head resting on the tray in front of him, apparently unconscious. 

"Ah, that's right. I almost forgot how nasty and cold it always is. Can I have some peanuts instead?" 

The stewardess sneered and rolled her eyes, but handed Laguna a packet of nuts anyway. She then continued down the aisle, ignoring passengers and mumbling to herself. 

-_-_-_-_-_- 

By the time the clocks chimed one, most of the guests had arrived and were being treated to lunch in the cafeteria. Quistis' family had gotten to Garden early and were sitting at their own table with her. The rest of the SeeDs gathered at their usual spot, chatting like normal. 

"Selphie, pass the salt, please," Squall asked. 

She jumped nervously. "What?! W-what are you gonna do with it?" 

He stared at her for a second then shrugged. "I promise I won't use it for anything illegal," he smiled. "I just want to salt my greenbeans." 

"Oh.....yeah." Selphie tensely nodded her head and handed him the salt with great care. Squall mimicked her movements and salted his plate extremely cautiously, treating the shaker as if it were made of crystal. Rinoa laughed to herself and shot a grin to an embarrassed Selphie. "Well, I heard the cafeteria ladies talking about how expensive they are and-" 

"They're made out of plastic!" Zell chuckled. 

"Australian plastic!" she shot back. 

"Er....sure." 

Selphie sighed irritably and picked up her tray. She started toward the garbage can, but was cut short by the mass of students hurrying off to the hall. "Hey! What's going on?!" she yelled into the crowd, not really expecting an answer. 

"The president of Esthar's here!" one screamed back. 

"I heard he's _really_ cute!" another student squealed. 

Selphie whipped around, accidentally hitting two of the lower classmen with her tray. "Stay away from Lagu- uh...the president!" After attempting to ward away the crazed teenagers, she walked back to her table and sat down. 

"The president's here? They....they're kidding, right?" Squall looked intently at his teammates. 

"Urgh.... I thought.....it was a good idea, since you seemed to had lost your form...and-" 

"So he's here?" he asked eagerly, scooting his chair closer to Selphie. 

Selphie took a cautious step back from the table and turned her head away from Squall. "Mmm....Maybe...." 

"I see." He paused a moment. "Excuse me." 

Rinoa watched as Squall got up from the table and began toward the kitchen. "Where are you going?" 

"I want to see if they have any more plastic sporks left," he grumbled. 

"Death by spork wounds," Quistis mused. "That's going to hurt, Selphie." 

-_-_-_-_-_- 

If you read, please review! This one's kinda short...er...really short. Hopefully the next will be longer. ^_^

< Prev 1. The Invitation2. The Near-Arrival3. The Actual Arrival4. The Outing5. The Tearful Goodbye Next >

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	3. The Actual Arrival

Enter the vegetable!.....Er....Part 3! 

-_-_-_-_-_- 

The entire Garden was ecstatic, seeing the president of Esthar's arrival. Esthar was, after all, the most advanced in technology, and President Loire rarely made appearances anywhere. 

Hundreds of students and instructors gathered around the unprotected leader as he made his way toward the main hall. Being the ham that he is, Laguna stopped for photo opportunities with the pupils and answered many of their questions about his favorite cereal and what he thought was funnier: cheese or beavers. For the extremely difficult questions, Laguna would shake his head slightly and answer, "No comment." 

Kiros and Ward were becoming perturbed and urged Laguna to continue on. "Come ON, MAN! Let's go! You can talk to these people anytime, but if you don't hurry, Squall might leave the country!" 

"Alright, alright! Geeze, you always have to burst my burble?" 

"That's bubble, Laguna." 

"Yeah, whatever." He waved and smiled one last time before following Ward and Kiros into the check-in office. 

-_-_-_-_-_-

"Name?" the secretary asked. 

"Laguna Loire." He took a deep breath then smiled. "President of Esthar." 

"Seriously, sir." 

"Laguna Loire," he repeated. 

"Okay, let's do it this way. Who are you here to see?" 

"Squall Loi-....Lion....Leo..." 

Ward and Kiros exchanged distressed glances. 

"Lyonhate...Luo... It does start with an 'L', right?" 

"Leonhart! The kid's name is Leonhart!" Kiros yelled. 

"Um....What he said." 

The secretary rechecked her papers and pulled out a plastic coated name tag. "Here you go, Mr., oh, excuse me, 'President' Loire." 

Laguna thanked the woman and pinned the tag to his jacket. "Do you know where I could find him?" 

"The commander should be taking his lunch break. Try the cafeteria to your right." 

"But where's Squall?" 

The woman sighed heavily. "Commander Leonhart is in the C A F E T E R I A." 

He paused, unsure of what she was trying to say. When it finally hit him, he turned excitedly to his friends. "D'ja hear that? My son's the commander!" He laughed giddily. "Takes after his old man," he added proudly. 

"....." 

"What d'ja say, Ward?" 

Kiros gladly interpreted. "He agrees that you're old." 

-_-_-_-_-_-

"Son!" 

"AHH!!!" Squall fell over in his seat and defensively held the plastic spork in front of his face. 

Irvine chuckled heartily as he revealed his identity to his petrified teammate. Squall, of course, did not laugh. 

"That was inhumane," he mumbled as he picked up the plastic chair. 

Irvine shrugged. "Sorry. I couldn't miss the opportunity," he smiled. 

"Son!" 

Squall scowled at Irvine, who threw up his hands in defense. "Wasn't me this time!" 

"You mean..." Squall whispered frightfully. 

"Son!" Laguna yelled again as he ran to him. 

Unable to move due to fear, Squall stood still, tensely squeezing his fists. He grunted uncomfortably as Laguna practically squashed him with a hug. 

"How's my boy doing? You got a girlfriend? Are you passing all your classes? How do you like your teachers? Do they hassle you? Have you ever been sent to the principal's office?" 

"Whatever, yes, straight A's, whatever, sometimes, we don't have a principal. I guess that answered all your questions, the next flight out is in a half hour." 

"Don't worry about my job, I've cleared the entire week just for you!" 

Squall's twitch went unnoticed as Laguna hugged him once more. His eyes searched the cafeteria rapidly, awaiting for his other teammates (or at least Selphie, who'd stick to Laguna like glue) to see him and come to his rescue....but no one came. 

"Hey, why don't you show me around? I'd love to meet your friends. You...do have friends now, right?" 

"...." 

".......Or, you could tell me about your normal day. Do you take any extra curricular activities? 

"...." 

"Play a sport?" 

"...No." 

"Take art?" 

"...No." 

"Take music?" 

"...No." 

"Joined a club?...No, huh?" 

"...." 

"What **do** you take?" 

"Sleeping pills." 

Laguna decided not to continue asking questions about school, considering Squall was giving him the cold shoulder. 

".....Wanna play Parcheesi?" 

-_-_-_-_-_-

It didn't take long before Selphie caught sight of President Loire. Her little heart skipped a beat and her hyper mode kicked in. "Sir Laguna! Sir Laguna!" she screamed and skipped merrily over to Squall and his father. 

'There is a God!' "Selphie!" Squall waved his arms in the air. "Over here! Look! It's L-a-g-u-n-a!" 

"Is she your friend?" he whispered to Squall, who nodded happily. "You have more than one, right?" 

"Laguna, Laguna, Laguna!" Selphie sang. 

"Isn't she cute?" the president smiled. "She sounds like those moombas." 

"I'll just.....leave you guys alone...So you can get better acquainted." Squall struggled to release Laguna's grip on his arm. 

"Nonsense, son!" he laughed. "Hey, why don't you round up 'the gang' and we can hang out!" 

"Hang out?" 

"Yeah! It'll be fun!" 

"Hang out? You wanna hang out with _my_ friends?" 

"And you, of course!" He patted him on the back. Squall figured that pat to be number forty-two and decided that when he reached one hundred, would report child abuse. 

Selphie continued to jump up and down. "I'll get everyone for you! SeeDs have some time off today, anyway. We'll meet you at your dorm, Squall!" She rushed off cheerfully, heading toward Kiros and Ward, who quickly side-stepped her. 

Squall nearly choked. "_My_ dorm?" 

-_-_-_-_-_-

Irvine, Rinoa, Quistis, and Zell had gathered into Squall's dorm. They each greeted President Loire respectfully and answered his questions. 

"How long have you known my son? Is he doing well commanding Garden? Are you old enough to vote?" 

Zell scratched the back of his head in thought. "Er, well, I knew Squall at the orphanage, but forgot about him-" 

"Yeah, that's easy to do." 

"....after I was adopted. We met up again late last year. He's doin' a great job with the Garden. Lot's of stuff always goin' on...." 

"So, tell me, Zell....can you vote? Next year's an election year...." 

"I'll be old enough in March, but-" 

"You're going to vote for me, right?!" Laguna grabbed Zell by the collar before he fell over from shock. 

Zell nervously squeaked out, "I wasn't planning on-" 

"You're going to vote for me, right?!" 

"I'm not even a citizen of Esthar!" 

"Laguna, please let Zell go. He has enough problems as it is," Squall sighed. 

Laguna looked at his hands in embarrassment and released Zell. "Sorry, kid, I always get excited when talking about politics," he apologized, half laughing. 

Zell backed away cautiously. "No prob." 

"Didn't you say you had a girlfriend, Squall?" Kiros questioned. 

His father put his hand over his heart and, quite dramatically, said, "My little boy's growing up." He sniffled a little, then turned to face Squall. 

"...." 

"Can I meet her?" 

"Sure." He brought Rinoa up to Laguna. "Not like the knife can go any deeper, anyway," he grumbled. 

Rinoa shot him an angered glance, but decided not say anything. "Nice to meet you, I'm Rinoa Heartilly." She smiled warmly and they shook hands. 

"Heartilly? That sounds really familiar...." 

Kiros ran over hastily. "Change of subject!" he interrupted. 

Laguna rested his head in his hand. "Heartilly...." 

"Why don't we all go for a ride? We could...uh...stop at the park!" Kiros waved his hands, trying to get others to join in. 

"Is your hand asleep?" Irvine inquired. 

Kiros walked over to Irvine and whispered, "If he remembers this girl Julia, he's going to get upset. Change the subject!" 

Irvine nodded in agreement and proceeded to throw out suggestions. "We could see a movie, go bowling, sneak into a bar-" 

Laguna raised an eyebrow. "Did you say bar?" 

"No!" Kiros answered for him. "He said...barber's. We should all get a hair cut!" 

"Which one?" Laguna laughed hysterically at his joke, while the others stared blankly. 

Acting as though he was never cut off, Irvine continued offering selections. "We could go to an amusement park, fight monsters at the training center-" 

"That sounds like fun! It's been so long since I've destroyed monsters... It'll be great to be able to fight alongside my son." 

Squall winced as Laguna patted his back for the sixty-second time. By now, Squall was seriously thinking of lowering the number to sixty-five. 

-_-_-_-_-_-

Hope you enjoyed part 3! 


	4. The Outing

::insert opening statement here:: 

-_-_-_-_-_-

DAY 2! 

Deep within the training center, battle cries echoed. Rattatatatatatat! Screeeeeeech! Thump, thump, plop. 

Laguna grinned widely and raised his machine gun above his head. "HA! Take that, you detestable slime! I shall prevail! HA HA HA!" 

Squall abruptly pulled his father's arm down, causing him to lower his gun. "Laguna, pleeeease wait until we _see_ a monster to shoot off your machine gun. I don't believe that pigeon deserved to die." 

"Neither did those squirrels," Quistis said, raising an eyebrow. 

"They were in my way! Besides, you never know when one might mutate into a Chimera or an Iron Giant." He looked around cautiously before proceeding. "And I'm pretty sure that was the pigeon that left all those presents on my car..." 

Zell observed Selphie's confused expression and decided to clarify what Laguna had said. "The pigeon shit on his car," he told her bluntly. 

She nodded in understanding. "Oh." 

Squall wrinkled his brow and tenderly rubbed his forehead. "Y'know, I don't think coming here was a good idea," he spoke tiredly. 

Bang! 

Selphie stared blankly in the direction the creature had been shot down. "One less butterfly in the world." She turned her attention back to Squall and gave him a melancholy look. 

"Let's...do something else," Squall uttered, folding his arms. 

Laguna scratched his head. "Wanna see embarrassing pictures of Squall when he was a baby?" 

Rinoa's face lit up as Squall stood there speechless. "I do!" she squealed with delight. 

"How did you get those?! _I_ don't even have pictures of me!" 

Laguna completely ignored his son's question and cooed, "Doesn't he look cute in his little baby pajamas with the footies?" 

'Oh my God. No.' 

Rinoa squinted her eyes. "Why are there little pink ribbons in his hair?" 

"What? Pink ribbons?" Squall hastily ran to where they were standing. 

"Oh, yeah, um... You see, your mother and I, er...really wanted a girl, and-" 

"You dressed me like a girl?!" 

"It was just the one time!" he protested. "None of the neighbors seemed to notice..." 

"Why'd you dress me like a girl?! You had Elle! Dress her like a girl!" 

"....But....it was so cute..." 

He flung his hands in the air. "I can't take it anymore!" 

"Now, Squall." Rinoa turned him toward her, trying to calm him down. "Your father's just proud. There's no need to-heh-get, erm-heh heh-upset." She smiled wryly, attempting to suppress her laughter. 

"Thanks, Rinoa. That _really_ made me feel good about my twistedly tortured childhood." 

She giggled and patted his shoulder. "Oh, lighten up!" 

Squall looked back at Laguna and the others as they continued to flip through the photos. "It wasn't enough that you made me eat strained peas, but you had to make me the world's youngest cross-dresser, too!" 

"Don't be mad, son. All parents do things that embarrass their children," Laguna responded lightheartedly. Kiros and Ward grunted, then became preoccupied with their surroundings before Laguna could remark. Squall continued to stare at his father, who was nervously fidgeting with his fingers. 

Quistis caught sight of his tension and decided to help. "Timber U's got a basketball game tonight against Deling. Why don't we all get tickets and go?" 

Squall's face expressed his displeasure. Not only was he not in the mood to watch a game, but Timber's basketball team had suffered from many player losses. Now, they literally sucked. 

Before he could object, Rinoa led him out of the Training Center and the others, except Laguna, followed. 

Ratatatatatat! 

The president smiled as he walked toward the exit. "That cactus didn't even have a chance." 

-_-_-_-_-_-

Fans decked out in blue cheered nonstop as the Deling Devils walked out onto the floor. Zell, Selphie, Irvine, and Quistis cheered too, but quickly stopped when they spotted Rinoa glaring at them. 

Music began to play as the announcer introduced the home team. "Ladies and gentlemen! Timber's own TWISTERS!" 

Rinoa whistled and clapped, as Zell, Selphie, Irvine, and Quistis lightly patted their hands together. After a few minutes and the Timber Twisters didn't appear, a man scrambled out with a microphone. He raised his hands in an attempt to quiet the crowd. 

"Hello! How's everybody doing? Um... We're having a few problems-" 

The audience booed and shouted at the announcement. 

"There WILL be a game tonight!" he assured them. "But while the Twisters are getting...ready...everyone's favorite mascot, Tony the Twirling Twister, will entertain you!" 

Mumbling continued until the mascot took the stage. He waddled to the center and greeted the people with a wave and a small kick. Timber had used the same outfit for over twenty years, which explained the many patches. The student willing to become the great twister was clothed in a giant tornado costume that had a goofy smile painted on the front. The student went through basic training; learning how to wave, how to take care of their suit, and how to protect themselves from insane fans who hated the team's mascot. But the most important deed of the twister was to charm the audience.....by spinning. 

And so, dance music played as Tony the Twirling Twister spun in place. After spinning clockwise for a few minutes, he spun counter-clockwise for an exciting change of pace. The die-hard Twister fans clapped along with the music, while most everyone else shouted profanities. 

"I hope they start soon," Zell grumbled. 

"Wait." Laguna held his hand in front of Squall, telling him to stop. "There!" He pointed to Tony as he changed from counter-clockwise to clockwise. Squall squinted his eyes in annoyance. "Two minutes on the dot! The guy's a genius!" 

Squall shook his head. "He's been spinning for over an hour. I'm leaving." 

"Yeah! Let's get our money back!" Selphie agreed. Unfortunately, the man behind her heard and decided that it was a good idea also. Soon enough, a riot had broken out. Cashiers shielded themselves from the angry mob while Squall and the gang tiptoed outside. 

"Okay, so that didn't go so hot," Quistis admitted. 

Irvine checked his watch. "It's six o'clock. The night's still young!" 

"I'm hungry," Selphie told them. She rubbed her stomach to emphasize her statement. 

"Yeah, me too." Everyone nodded their heads. That's exactly what they expected from Zell. 

"I'm up for Italian!" Laguna, Kiros, and Ward all agreed. 

"Casual or Fancy?" Quistis asked. 

Laguna answered for them. "Casual." 

"Expensive or cheap?" 

"Erm...cheap...but not _too_ cheap." 

"Ravioli or tortellini?" 

"Can't I decide when we get there?" 

"Satellite or cable?" 

"Satellite, but-" 

"News or sports?" 

"....News...." 

"Red or tan?" 

"Red. What does this-" 

"Louie or Fritz?" 

"Who?" 

"We'll go with Fritz. Okay, I've got the perfect restaurant!" 

-_-_-_-_-_-

Squall parked the van outside of This is an Italian Restaurant, the local Italian restaurant. 

They walked inside and were greeted by the waitress. "How many?" 

"Nine!" Selphie answered. 

The waitress smiled. "It's going to be about a twenty minute wait." 

"That's fine," Squall said. 

"Can I have your name?" 

"Le-" 

"Bable!" Zell interrupted. 

"Okay." She wrote on her notepad, then looked up at them. "You can get drinks at the bar. I'll call you when we're ready." 

Squall looked confusedly at Zell, but shrugged it off when he sat down. 

A few minutes after they'd gotten their drinks, the doors opened and in popped Seifer and his posse. 

Zell practically choked, but Squall merely rolled his eyes. He watched Seifer give his name to the waitress, then catch sight of him. Being unable to resist the opportunity, the Disciplinary Committee treaded over to Squall and the other SeeDs. 

"Hey, there Puberty Boy, Chicken-Wuss." 

Selphie covered Zell's mouth before he had time to respond. 

Squall sighed. "Listen, now's not the ti-" 

"Hello! Are you one of my son's friends, too?" 

Seifer stepped back, startled by the president's appearance. "Y-you're the President of Esthar!" he gasped. 

Laguna smiled. "You've heard of me?" he asked in mock surprise. 

Squall slapped his forehead. 

"H-hey, guys! Look! It's President Loire! And...two other guys dressed in silly Esthar garb!" 

Raijin and Fujin squealed excitedly. "It's really him, ya know! Can I have your autograph?" 

"Sure!" 

Raijin handed him the waitress's pen. "Here's my arm. Make it out to 'My favorite citizen, Raijin'. 

Fujin automatically kicked him. "WAIT TURN" She walked in front of Laguna and pointed to her brow. "SIGN FOREHEAD" 

"Alright!" 

Squall hit the table with his hand and stood up. "Enough! We're here to eat dinner! I don't need you people annoying me!" 

Seifer paused, shocked. "Squall, you shouldn't speak that way in front of the president!" 

"That's not the president, that's my dad!.....Oops." He hastily covered his mouth, but the deed was done, and everyone within a five mile radius heard. 

Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin stopped dead in their tracks. "WHAT?" Fujin uttered. 

"You are not!" Seifer laughed at an embarrassed Squall. 

"No, he's right." Laguna brought Squall closer to him. "He's my son!" 

Fujin and Raijin's jaws dropped, but Seifer saw this as an opportunity to come up with more ways to harass Squall. 

He grinned smugly and opened his mouth to speak, when the waitress came over the intercom. "Table for Bable. Table for Bable." 

Zell, Selphie, Irvine, and Rinoa chuckled to themselves. They followed the woman into the back, leaving the posse in the bar area. 


	5. The Tearful Goodbye

Hi!......Um...that is all. 

-_-_-_-_-_-

The group followed the woman into the back where the dinner tables were. She seated them at a large rectangular table that was obviously two smaller square tables pushed together. The waitress handed each a menu. 

"Would you like me to divide the check?" 

"Yes, we're-" Squall pointed his finger around the table. "-all separate." 

"All right. Can I get you something to drink?" She turned to Irvine. 

"Mmm...Just water, please." 

Laguna quickly turned to the waitress. "Wait!" 

She stopped writing suddenly, a little startled by his outburst. 

"I'm sorry, Irvin-" 

"Irvine," he corrected. 

"You see, Irving, I gave to the Don't Waste Our Water Foundation, and if someone saw me around people drinking water, well..." He chuckled. "I'd be kicked out." 

The waitress erased the order as Irvine got ready to argue with Laguna. "Why did you join _that_ club?" 

"Because I'm president and I have to do all that presidential 'I love blah blah' stuff. Wasn't my choice, I love water....but don't tell anybody..." 

After Irvine agreed and ordered a Pepsi, the woman took their drink orders and reassured she be back in a little bit to write down their dinner orders. 

Zell didn't even glance at the list, he knew exactly what he wanted. "Spumoni," he said, knowing no one cared. 

"You can't have ice cream for dinner!" Selphie snapped. 

"Sure I can! It's not like _you're_ paying for it." 

"Actually," began Laguna, "she's right. The Dinner Before Desert Committee's laws clearly state that no sugary foods may be eaten before the main meal." He whipped out a small pamphlet from his jacket pocket and pointed to the first paragraph. "Right there in black and white." 

Zell shook his head. "I don't belong to that committee." 

"Well, I do. Sorry, kid," he said as he patted Zell's back. 

Zell rolled his eyes at Squall, who nodded slightly, saying he agreed. 

Selphie closed the menu and set it in front of her. "Homemade cheese lasagna for me!" 

The president shook his head in disapproval. "Lasagna is baked, and therefore the cheese is melted." 

"You figured that out all by yourself?" Kiros asked half smiling. 

"Ha ha, funny." He cleared his throat. "Quit Melting Mozzarella donated to my campaign and I told them I'd stay away from melted cheese, as it is such an awful fate for a dairy product." 

Squall let his head hit the table. A few minutes later, when he felt that his stress had been lifted, he picked up the sheet in front of him and thought out loud as he read the menu. "Lamb chops or pasta...." 

"You can't eat lamb chops," Laguna stated, not looking up from his menu. 

"Why not?" 

"I'm a part of an animal rights group." 

He sighed. "Fine. I'll have the pasta with pesto sauce." 

"Pesto? Er....." 

"PESTO." 

"I'm afraid that's not possible. You see, the Protect Our Pesto Foundation wouldn't like-" 

"I'm having pasta with pesto, dammit! Don't tell me what to eat!" 

Not having any past experiences with children to fall back on, Laguna had no idea as to how to handle Squall. He was unsure about which action to take. On one hand, Squall was a responsible young man, and could make his own decisions. On the other hand, he was naive and too young to realize the importance of pesto in society. 

Squall's face was still red with anger, and Laguna decided to let him make his own choice; no matter how wrong it was. He nodded his head. "Okey dokey." 

-_-_-_-_-_-

It had been fifteen minutes since the woman had taken their dinner order, and, considering that the crowd had gone, Squall wondered what had happened to Seifer and his posse. 

He wondered no longer, as he caught sight of them casually strolling into the dining room behind a blonde waiter. Squall noted that they were coming awfully close. In fact, the man seated them right across from him. When so many tables were empty, why didn't the waiter seat them away from his table? 

'Oh, I see.' Squall grumbled to himself as Seifer slipped the man 10 gil. "Geez, get a life," he groaned, falling back into his chair. 

"That's not very nice!" Rinoa screeched. 

"Huh? No, not you, Seifer. He's sitting right behind me." He motioned to his back. 

"Oh...." she responded sheepishly. "Let him be. He isn't disturbing anyone." 

She spoke too soon, for Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin each got up and walked over to Laguna. 

Seifer almost passed by, when he stopped suddenly and, in mock surprise, said, "Hey, look who it is! Fancy meeting you here....erm, again...once more....for the second time..." 

"Fancy? Did he just say fancy?" Squall asked the group around his table. They stared at him, oblivious to what he was getting at. 

"Hey, why don't you guys pull up a table?" Laguna offered. 

"No, we couldn't-okay, if you insist! Fuj, Raij, bring that table over here!" 

Zell sat with his mouth agape as Squall remained stiffly upright. 

"I....don't think there's enough room..." Squall said. 

"Ah, sure there is, Puberty Boy!" 

"Is that your nickname?" Laguna asked cheerfully as he scooted closer to Squall, making room for the other table. "I used to have a nickname when I was in school.... What was it?....." 

"He had so many, they almost put him in the Guinness Book of World Records," Kiros whispered to Ward. Ward nodded, remembering the time some men came to their grade school and tallied up Laguna's nicknames. All 56 of them. But in the end he was two short of the record. Poor little Laguna was heartbroken. He worked hard for those names, but now all he had to show for it was constant teasing that would last throughout highschool. No world record. 

"Hey Fujin! Get a picture of me and the president!" Seifer stood behind Laguna, giving him bunny ears. From out of nowhere, Fujin pulled out a camera and took a shot. "Thanks, Mr. President!" 

"No problem! I'm glad _some_ people are interested in politics...." 

Seifer grinned obnoxiously at Squall, then sat down next to Laguna. "Say....Mr. President?" 

"Yes?" 

"I've been thinking-" 

"Congratulations," Squall murmured. 

".....and...I'm truly sorry for trying to help takeover the world an' all....Do you think you could pardon me?" 

"Aww....Of course! You're such a nice, responsible young man!" 

"W-wait a minute!!" Squall pounded his fist on the table. "He is NOT a responsible young man! He's not even all that nice! What's wrong with you?!" 

"He said he was sorry, son-" 

"That doesn't make up for anything!" 

"Shut your trap, Squall! Your father can OBVIOUSLY see that I have changed my ways, and that I deserve a second chance." 

"This isn't The Price is Right! There are no second chances!" 

"Calm down, your father knows what he's doing," Rinoa said softly. 

Seifer stuck his tongue out, which went unnoticed to everyone except Squall. 

"TOO" 

"Fujin wants to be pardoned, too." 

"Surely, dear!.....What did she do again?" 

"You don't kno-erm...nothing, really....." 

"Yes she did, Seifer! Don't'cha remember when we- OWW! Fuj, that hurts!" 

"QUIET, IDIOT" 

Laguna kept his smile even though Fujin had just crippled Raijin with a kick. ".....Hey! Seeing as you're such good friends with my son-" 

"Seifer's not my friend!" Squall objected. 

"You can call me 'Dad'. Okay?" 

"Well, if you think it's appropriate.....Dad." 

Squall fell down into his seat and stared wide-eyed at Laguna and Seifer. "Bu-na-ugh-nee-" 

"Can I call you 'Dad', too?!" Selphie squealed. 

"Sure! You all can!" 

So, the night went on; Squall twitching uncontrollably as the others enjoyed their dinner, Laguna cracking one too many jokes, and Seifer anxiously waiting for a chance to use his rat poison. 

-_-_-_-_-_-

DAY 4!

Squall cut open the child-proof cap of his asprin (one could die before untwisting it) and wearily popped one in his mouth. He was now counting down the hours to Friday. Luckily for him, Laguna went shopping with Kiros and Ward and insisted that Squall stay home. With the extra time, he was seriously contemplating moving the Garden, but Quistis would hear nothing of it. To make sure he didn't, she sent Nida off with Laguna. Nida was the only one who could fly the Garden, and although others had training, they still needed his supervision. 

Rinoa handed him a glass of water. He swallowed the pill, then set the bottle back in the medicine cabinet. "What's bothering you, Squall?" she asked. "Are you annoyed because your father acts more like a teenager than you?" She smirked. 

"No, I'm annoyed because they canceled _The Smurfs_! Honestly, I don't understand how he ever-" 

"He'll be gone tomorrow, so just hold out until then," she sighed and walked to the door. "I know it's none of my business, but....maybe you should....forgive him. He means well, Squall, and I know more is bothering you than his attitude." 

He opened his mouth to object, but she quickly cut him off. "Just think about it, okay? I'm sure you'll feel better." She kissed him lightly on his cheek and walked out. 

'You're a fine one to talk. At least I call my father by his first name.' He switched his weight to his left leg. '....I could call him "that guy that's somehow related to me" or "the man that claims I'm his offspring"......' He shrugged. 'Why didn't I think of that sooner?' 

-_-_-_-_-_-

Nida struggled to keep up with Laguna as he ran rampant through the aisles. "Thanks, guys," he muttered to the ceiling. Kiros and Ward were right behind Laguna, carrying any items he picked up and catching those he dropped. 

"Hmm....shampoo? Do you think he'd like shampoo?" Laguna asked, turning to Nida. 

"I'd think he'd have enough of that already." 

"Oh." The president set the bottle of Suave down and scanned the store. He caught site of something and started toward it. "Stay here," he ordered, and Nida was happy to oblige. 

"Geez," he sighed, slumping over. "Is he _always_ this hyper?" 

Kiros glanced at Ward. "Yeah. All the time." 

Nida shook his head. He looked over to where Laguna had headed and saw that he was coming back with a large white bag over his shoulder. "Good, he bought something. Now we can go." 

"Okay, all done!" Laguna smiled. 

"What's in the bag, man?" Kiros questioned. 

"A....present for Squall...." 

They stood silently. 

"Well, can we see it?" 

"Maybe later....When I give it to him," he responded slowly. 

Nida stood up. "Fine, let's get outta here!" 

-_-_-_-_-_-

By the time Laguna, Kiros, Ward, and Nida got back to Garden it was late at night. The fact that Laguna made them get on the wrong train (bound for FH) made the gang backtrack. It was another two hours until they reached Balamb, seeing as Laguna wasn't familiar with the area, but insisted that he drive. 

At the front gate, Nida explained to the gatekeeper what had happened and the man kindly let them pass. 

Each hurried off to their room (special exceptions were made for the president and his body guards) before another guard stopped them in the halls. 

-_-_-_-_-_-

DAY 5! 

Bright and early, Laguna arrived at his son's door. He was amazed to see Selphie, Rinoa, and Zell there, also. 

"Good morning, Sir Laguna!" Selphie greeted. 

"Good morning! What are you all doing outside Squall's door this early?" he asked. 

"We're waiting for him to get up," Zell said as he removed his ear from the door. 

"That's nice of you." Laguna smiled watching the three stake out in front of Squall's dorm. "When does he usually wake?" 

"About 9:30," Rinoa informed. 

Selphie pranced around Laguna, staring at the giant white bag. "What's in there?" 

"A present for Squall." 

"Ooh! Let me see!" 

He swiftly pulled it out of her grasp. "Wait until Squall gets up." 

"I'll get him up!" she squealed with excitement. Pounding furiously on his door, Squall finally gave in and got out of bed. He sleepily came to the door, squinting his eyes so the light wouldn't bother him. 

"What?" he asked gruffly. 

"Good morning, son!" Laguna yelled as he patted his back. "Look! I've got a present for you, since I won't see you for a while!" He handed him the heavy bag. 

"Why is it moving?" 

Laguna grinned widely. "Oh, you'll see..." 

Squall shook his head attempting to ward off his tiredness. He untied the knot of string and opened the bag to reveal- 

"A turkey!" Selphie jumped giddily. 

"You got me a turkey?" 

"Yeah, isn't it cute?" 

"......" 

"I named it Marvin, but it answers to Marv, too." 

"......" 

Laguna kneeled down and stretched out his arms. "C'mere Marv!" The turkey waddled over, leaving feathers where he tread. "Good boy, Marv!" Laguna clapped. 

"What am I supposed to do with a turkey?" Squall asked, scratching the back of his head. 

"Love it, and care for it, and take it for walks! A kid should have a pet!" 

"A kid should have a dog, or hamsters, or fish! Not the main course of a Thanksgiving Day meal!" 

Laguna stood up and dusted off his pants. "I thought he was cute." He shrugged. 

"It was very nice of you to give Squall a....turkey," Rinoa thanked. "But...I'm afraid they don't allow pets at Garden..." 

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that..." 

Zell looked down at the walking poultry. "I'll take it off your hands," he grinned. 

"No! You'll just eat it, you barbarian!" Selphie screamed as she stood in front of the giant bird, shielding it from harm. 

"That's okay, Selphie, I'll take it back." Laguna turned to Squall. "Sorry, son. I know how much you always wanted one." 

Squall sighed. "I'll try to pick up the pieces and go on." 

"Laguna!" Kiros yelled as he and Ward came running from the main hall. Kiros slowed down in front of him and between breaths said, "Something's....come up in Esthar....They....need you back to sign.....some papers...." 

"It's that urgent?" 

"Actually....you were given the.....papers to sign a while ago....They are very important, deciding trade with some....countries...." 

Laguna stood quietly in thought. "Are they the ones in the green envelopes?" 

Ward nodded. 

"I thought those were early Christmas cards. Whoops," he laughed. 

Kiros swallowed, and regained a steady rate of breathing. "Only you, man," he said, shaking his head. "Anyway, we need to get going." 

"Yes, of course." 

Squall helped to get Marvin back in the bag and handed it to his father. ".....Um.....Thanks for coming, and all.... I had a lot of fun...." 

"R-really?" 

".....Sure, whatever." 

"Aww!" 

Squall back-stepped, attempting to escape the oncoming hug. He didn't succeed. 

"I'll miss you, son! Remember to call, or write, or email, or something!" 

"Yeah." 

The president walked to the hallway then turned around. "See you next year!" he said as he waved cheerfully. Squall waved until he was out of sight. 

He hastily turned around to face his teammates. "Okay, we've got 365 days! Zell! You find a map and locate a flat patch of land surrounded by mountains! Selphie! You work on driving the Garden in case Nida would happen to be sick when we move! Rinoa! You call the phone company and change my number, then get on the internet and give me a new email address! Let's move! Go! Go! Go!" 

-_-_-_-_-_-

I don't know why, but Nida's becoming one of my favorite characters. I even gave him a starring role in Pip!... Well, I hope you enjoyed, 'cause that be the last chapter! Yes, it's true! 


End file.
